Defour, Aquilani & Poulsen: £38M Trio of Liverpool Targets to Replace £30M Alonso

Rafa Benitez is closing in on three potential signings as the £30m sale of Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso finally looks set to go through. Here’s the rundown on Liverpool’s three main targets.

CHRISTIAN POULSEN: Danish Midfield Enforcer

Danish hardman Christian Poulsen is set for a move to Anfield for a cut-price fee according to reports. A number of English Premier League clubs had been linked to the defensive midfielder including Fulham, Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton but it would seem Liverpool are now in pole position.

Juventus Director of Football Alessio Secco had confirmed the player is to be sold and that an English club has made a significant move. The Italian giants need to sell before they can buy which means a deal should be done quickly.

“Christian understands the situation, Secco revealed in Tuttosport.

“He also knows that he wants to play in the World Cup. We are working to find a solution that suits us and him.

“What is new? Something has happened in England.”

The Juventus midfielder has suffered from a poor first season in Serie A where he has failed to establish himself as a fixture in the first eleven and the club are trying to offload him with Schalke, Hamburg, Villarreal and Turkish side Fenerbahce showing a strong interest. The Dane has not enjoyed the best of times since joining the Turin giants last summer amidst protests from the clubs fans. He is also one of the club’s high earners so new Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara wants to offload the midfield man to lower the wage bill.

There’s no doubting the Danish international’s pedigree after an impressive career which has now spanned four countries. However, Poulsen only made 23 league appearances last season (14 starts) and has not had the impact he was hoping for in Serie A.

Poulsen faced a difficult start to his Juventus career after his own fans displayed a banner that branded the midfielder ‘rubbish’ at the club’s pre-season training camp in Pinzolo. Much of this ill-feeling towards the Dane is due not only to his high wages which are only surpassed by Buffon, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Amauri and Nedved but also due to past incidents with Italian players and clubs.

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Poulsen was involved in an incident with Roma’s Francesco Totti at the 2004 European Championships which ultimately led to the Italian receiving a 3-match ban after being caught on camera spitting at the Dane. Totti gave a full public apology but still claimed that Poulsen had provoked him. There was also an incident with AC Milan in the 2005/06 Champions League whilst the Dane was a Schalke player. Poulsen was heavily criticised by Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti who branded him a ‘coward’ for his rough marking of Kaka in the first match between the two teams. In the second game Poulsen was once again involved in controversy after Gennaro Gattusso goaded him at the final whistle as Milan won 3-2.

These are not the only incidents in the Juventus midfielder’s career which includes stamping on Spurs midfielder Jermain Jenas’ head whilst with Sevilla and punching Sweden’s Marcus Rosenberg in the stomach in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. The Dane was subsequently red carded and a penalty awarded which led to a supporter running onto the pitch and attacking the referee who subsequently abandoned the game. The match was thus awarded as a 3-0 win for Sweden.

So Poulsen may come with a reputation which is backed up by the number of cards he has received in his career. In 111 League appearances in the Bundesliga, the Dane hardman received 34 yellow cards and 4 reds. In Spain he also received 18 yellow cards in just 62 League appearances.

Despite his poor discipline at times, the Danish star is also a winner. He’s won the Danish title, the German League Cup, the European Super Cup, the Uefa Cup and the Copa Del Rey. He has also been crowned Danish Player of the Year twice in 2005 and 2006.

Poulsen has made 63 appearances for Denmark (5 goals) and played in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. His aggressive style makes him a perfect candidate for a number of Premier League clubs including Liverpool. The Danish international will have a point to prove after such a poor season and at such a low price-tag would surely be one of the bargains of the summer.

STEVEN DEFOUR: Dazzling Diminutive Belgian Playmaker

The 21-year-old youngster certainly put himself in the shop window with his European displays against both Merseyside giants Liverpool and Everton in Europe last season. The player obviously impressed both clubs and David Moyes has made at least two official moves to sign the young starlet. Defour has spoken about the rejected bid, he told HLN, “How high was the bid? I do not know, you would need to ask Luciano D’Onofrio [Standard vice-president] that question.”

“For now I wait quietly, I feel good at Standard, especially now we are in the Champions League,” he said.

“But I would be ready to move abroad, but the transfer will come when all parties are happy.”

Defour is fiercely ambitious and declared in January he was ready to leave Standard. The Belgian international admitted, “I have achieved what I wanted to achieve with Standard.”
Before adding, “Maybe it is best for my career to make an upward step. I feel the time is right for me to move on.”

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It’s of little surprise as the 5 ft 8 playmaker’s career has gone from strength to strength. Defour is now a permanent member of the Belgian national side with 20 caps and 1 goal to his name despite his tender years. He also captains the Belgian champions Standard (two successive titles) as well as won the 2007 Golden Shoe Award as most outstanding player in the Jupiler League.

Defour began his career at Racing Genk where he made 30 League appearances (25 starts) and scored once. Despite breaking into the side at just 16-years-old the playmaker was soon one of the integral members of the side and his ambition led to a move to Standard. His departure caused such a commotion at Genk that the Chairman at the time Jos Vaessen stood down from his post.

He led Standard to the Belgian championship for the first time in 25 years in the 2007/08 season and has now made 84 League appearances for the club (79 starts) and scored 9 goals.

He would be a like for like replacement for Xabi Alonso at Liverpool as he is very much a midfield schemer who likes to dictate the play of his team through intelligent short and long range passing.

ALBERTO AQUILANI: Silky Italian Schemer

Aquilani has been strongly linked with the Premier League club of late. Italian reports suggest he has agreed personal terms, but that has not been confirmed officially. In light of the developments from Merseyside, Goal.com caught up with Giannini for an exclusive insight into what the Reds can expect should they complete the Aquilani move.

“Aquilani would do well at Liverpool,” Giannini told Goal.com.

“He would not have any problems adapting to the Premier League. English football is perfect for Aquilani. He has all the right characteristics to do well there. He will show Liverpool what he is all about.

“I have no doubts that Liverpool will sign a great player in Aquilani. I think his future will be in the Premier League.”

Reports in Italy have suggested that Liverpool have already signed midfield star Alberto Aquilani for £18m but there has been no official confirmation from either club. The Italian international is highly regarded in Italy bit has struggled in recent seasons due to injury and loss of form so his reported fee does seem rather high.

Last season Aquilani made just 14 league appearances for Roma but only started 7 of those games (two goals). Unfortunately this has been the norm for the past three seasons for the 25-year-old who made just 9 league starts in 2006/07 and 11 starts in 2007/08.

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Despite his stop-start career the midfielder has won 11 caps for the World Champions and scored twice. The Roma star was also named in the UEFA Team of the tournament after impressing in the 2007 Euro U21 Championships and played in two of Italy’s Euro 2008 group matches.

The precocious midfielder has now made 102 League appearances for the Rome giants (61 starts) and scored 9 times. His most impressive season came in 2005/06 when Aquilani made 20 league starts, more than any other season for Roma.

Aquilani could have been playing in the Premier League already had Claudio Ranieri had his way when in 2001 he offered the then 16-year-old player a lucrative contract to join Chelsea. Instead, Alberto decided to stay with his hometown club though a move to London could be far more tempting this time around with Roma just 1 point above the relegation zone in Serie A after losing five of their 8 matches this season.

He is renowned for his passing and technical ability as well as his capacity for long range strikes and could be a useful acquisition to Liverpool’s midfield.

Which of these players would you like to sign? Would you take all three to compete for the 2009/10 Premier League title? Let’s hear your views.

Tags: Alberto Aquilani, Christian Poulsen, Juventus, Liverpool, Roma, Standard Liege, Steven Defour

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